Composites, which may be formed of various materials, have been used extensively in civil infrastructure applications, and they continue to be utilized in new and existing structures via retrofits, rehabilitations, and repairs. The use of nano materials is revolutionizing the properties of the existing composites. For example, carbon nanotube (CNT) based composites have been developed. CNTs can provide nano composites with extraordinary stiffness, strength and resilience.
However, there are several concerns related to using nano tubes as nano fillers, including significant energy consumption related to CNT manufacturing, substantial costs of currently sold CNTs, as well as contradictory data related to their toxicity.
There is growing interest in the development of nanocomposites including organic polymers and various nano materials. However, many conventional nano fillers are currently not compatible with existing polymer matrices, which limits their practical applications. For example, several strategies used to address the issues related to cellulose incompatibility in non-polar matrices include cellulose surface modification using relatively harsh energy-consuming conditions and toxic chemicals. More specifically, these strategies may include such surface treatment techniques as silylation, mercerization, treatment with peroxide, benzoylation, and graft copolymerization.
Improved materials, including nanocomposites based upon organic materials, remain desirable.